Catch a Grenade
by xMissDarylLeax
Summary: This is my Alternate ending to Spirit Bound. Rose finally has Dimitri alone, she has the opportunity to talk to him knowing he can't run away from her. Theres just one or two problems…They're sharing a jail cell and Lissa's been arrested. DimkaxRoza
1. Count on Me

**A/N: this is my first Vampire Academy fic, it is the alternate ending to Spirit Bound and then it will become my version of Last Sacrifice. I don't tend to write long chapters so I hope this can hold you over, I will post Chapter 2 tomorrow. Reviews and Constructive criticism are welcome! **

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately for me I do not own a single thing associated with VA. However Richelle if you see this, I'd love to own Dimitri. The Title Grenade belongs to Bruno Mars, and also the title of the chapter belongs to him. (I suggest you go find his music right now, you wont regret it)**

I didn't take my eyes off of Dimitri as we sat in the cafe at a table _together_, it felt as if it were a dream, all _my_ hard work had paid off and there he was sitting in front of me, a Dhampir. He was no longer a Strigoi, he was just a Dhampir. I still couldn't believe it. His beautiful brown eyes were no longer red ringed, no longer did a sadistic smile sit on his face and I knew there never would be again, his face was stoic and free of any emotion. However his eyes betrayed him; the fear, pain and guilt shone through. Why was it so hard for him to forgive himself? I had already forgiven him, how could he continue to punish himself and intern me for what he had done?

"Come on comrade put a smile on that dial" my attempt to get a smile out of him had clearly failed as his expression didn't change "I know you're lying…" I continued uneasy as to what I was about to get myself into, common sense told me to leave him alone (as did Lissa) but I couldn't leave this… him alone.

"Do you really, _Roza_?" the pain was evident in his voice, his accent was thicker than usual. The use of his nickname for me was proof enough that he still cared as my heart beat grew increasingly fast.

"I really do know Dimitri; I can see it in your eyes." I spoke clearly and thoughtfully attempting push my own emotions aside. "You're lying about us. About how you feel about me"

"I can't be with you Roza not after everything I've done"

"Well what about everything I've done to get you back," I hissed at him weary of his guardians listening ears.

"Does it really matter, Rose?" He responded as his eyes locked with mine. "It doesn't change anything I did, to you and to those innocent people."

"I've forgiven you Dimitri," I didn't break the eye contact as a million and one messages passed between us. I hoped my eyes conveyed the love and forgiveness I was feeling. I watched as his expression softened slightly and the guilt in his eyes faded slightly.

Maybe there was hope.

"_ROSE_," a familiar voice yelled angrily.

"I told you to stay away from Dimitri." Lissa was still yelling. "He doesn't want to see you." She started and grabbed at my arm trying to pull me away like a protective mother, except she wasn't showing any concern for my feelings; she was focused on Dimitri, and her anger clearly showed.

"You know what Lissa, just shut up and let me go," I snapped. "I just wanted to talk to him, I love him." I snatched my arm away from her as my own anger began to take over. "The two of you act as if I had no part in saving him, after everything we've been through together; you're so busy protecting him. What about me? Don't I matter to either of you anymore?" I was screaming at this point and I knew I sounded like a raving lunatic but I didn't care, I was sick of Lissa being so hard on me.

"Rose…" Lissa was now staring at me her was mouth wide open. "No, it's not like that," her thoughts reflected her shock.

"Vasilisa Dragomir?" a serious looking guardian questioned interrupting our 'discussion'

"That's me," she responded with a confused look.

"You need to come with us right now," his tone was menacing. I really didn't like it the sound of it.

"What the hell for?" I questioned, stepping in front of her as Dimitri left his seat taking his spot beside me, and the guardians behind the man began to approach slowly.

"Touch her and you'll regret it." I narrowed my eyes scanning the room, there were at least 15 guardians waiting behind the ones already approaching.

"Dimitri, do you think we can take them all?" I didn't take my eyes off of the people in front of us.

"Yes," he answered just as a few of the guardians decided it was time for action, I took a few blows but managed to subdue the first set of attackers when Lissa screamed "STOP IT!"

I could feel her slowly calming me through the bond.

"I'll be okay Rose" she took my hand in hers as our thoughts seemed find a meeting place

"_Don't worry Rose, I know I did nothing wrong, they have no proof of whatever it is…"  
_

"_Can you hear my thoughts?" _I asked in my mind as Lissa's eyes widened and she nodded.

"_Are you sure you about this? Dimitri and I will keep fighting for you…" _I asked through our bond, this was the strangest experience I'd ever had in regards to the bond; we'd never been able to communicate both ways.

"_I'm sure Rose, I don't want either of you getting into trouble" _she replied. She let go of my hand and stepped past Dimitri and I "okay, I'll go…but what is this about?" she asked rather meekly as fear began to fill her again.

"Liss, don't let them take you…" I tried to stop her.

"_NO_ Rose." Her tone was firm and I could tell she meant it. "I have to go."

"Is this over then?" the Guardian asked. His face showed no emotion, he had his Guardian mask on.

Lissa nodded and stood with her arms out. "Vasilisa Dragomir, you are under arrest for high treason," he said as he cuffed her.

"High treason of what kind?" Dimitri spoke up this time.

"The murder of her Royal Majesty Queen Tatiana" the guardian answered. "Also, you two are under arrest for obstruction of Justice." He led Lissa away; we found ourselves being cuffed by the other guardians and led in the same direction.

I sat in the cell with Dimitri, thinking about how ridiculous this predicament was. We were supposed to be Lissa's guardians but here we were, we both failed to protect her and now she had been arrested for a crime that I knew without a doubt she hadn't committed. If she'd done something like murdering that sanctimonious bitch, it would have involved such strong emotion, I would have been there with her committing the crime with her. Lissa wouldn't even hurt a fly let alone kill the queen. Even I wouldn't dream of doing something like that and I hated the bitch just as much as she hated me.

I soon found myself laughing at the ironic fact that I was locked up in a cell with Dimitri.

"What's so funny, Roza?" His question startled me.

"At the fact that you can't really get away from me now," I dared him to deny it but we both knew he couldn't run away anymore. "Not even Lissa can stop me from talking to you."

"I guess I better stop trying to run away," he smiled a small but still dazzling smile that took my breath away. As we began to talk, a guardian approached our cell.

"Rose Hathaway, there is a visitor waiting to see you."

**A/n: Well what do you think?**


	2. All She Knows

**A/N: I hope you like this chapter. Thanks to those who reviewed, put this on Story alert and made it one of their favourite stories. I really appreciate it. The last chapter was edited by a good friend of mine but she hasn't edited this one so forgive any mistakes that are there. **

**Disclaimer: I still don't own anything to do with Vampire Academy = (**

I walked into the small visiting area of the jail, it wasn't like a normal state penitentiary visiting room that you'd see on Television, the tables were solid oak with intricate carvings in each of the legs, each table had two matching cushioned benches, My guess was that the odd Royal visited and they had made the visiting room this way in attempt to keep them happy, the windows had iron grates with intricate patterns, weaved around and between each bar as far I could recall they matched the iron grates of the Royal Court.

But I didn't think I'd be confirming that fact anytime soon. I sat down at the table and began tapping my nails impatiently, as hard as it was to admit, being stuck in a cell with Dimitri was kind of boring and our discussion being interrupted didn't help. Whoever the visitor was they had better make it good. I watched as Ambrose was led into the visiting room by a guard, he smiled a handsome smile that I couldn't help but return, there was a hint of sadness to be found in his eyes. He sat down across from me.

"Ambrose…" I held his hand over the table "I'm sorry about The Queen…" I smiled sadly  
"Thanks Rose" he sighed "I came to see you because I was with her the night before she was murdered and she gave me a note to give you…" he trailed off pulling a note out of his pocket  
"she knew she was going to be murdered?" I stared at him my mouth wide open.  
"She just had a feeling that something bad might happen. Anyway, here's the note" He handed it to me "she told me it was important only you knew the contents of it. I haven't read it and I don't really want to know what it says so wait until I'm gone okay." I nodded and held the note tight in my hand.

"What are you going to do Ambrose? Go back to spa?" I decided to change the subject  
"No…I'm going to travel" he stated simply, Tatiana's death had taken more of a toll on him then I had realised, his silence was such a strange thing to see, especially from him.  
"Where to?" I asked trying to keep him talking  
"anywhere I suppose, I have a bit of money saved up." He really didn't want to talk. I decided it would be cruel to keep him here with me.  
"Thanks for bringing the note, take care Ambrose" I smiled, gently patting his hand before getting to my feet  
"you too Rose" he said after me as I was led back to the cell by the guardians.

I sat down on the bed across from Dimitri keeping the note screwed up in my hand; I knew I was probably being completely obvious and not the least bit subtle but I turned away from him opening the note quietly. I began to read it,

_Rose,  
if you're reading this, then something terrible has happened. You probably hate me, and I don't blame you. I can only ask that you trust that what I did with the age decree was better for your people than that the others had planned. There are some Moroi who want to force all dhampirs into service, whether they want it or not, by using compulsion. The age decree has slowed that faction down.  
However, I write to you with a secret you must put right, and it is a secret you must share with as few as possible. Vasilisa needs her spot on the Council, and it can be done. She is not the last Dragomir. Another lives, the illegitimate child of Eric Dragomir. I know nothing else but if you can find this son or daughter, you will give Vasilisa the power she deserves. No matter your faults and dangerous temperament, you are the only one I feel can take on this task. Waste no time in fulfilling it.  
- Tatiana Ivashkov_

I reread the note at least five times trying to get the last part through my head. There was another Dragomir out and I had to find them. I tucked the note into my pocket before turning back to Dimitri who had clearly been watching me.

"Who was your visitor?" he raised his eyebrows  
"Why should I tell you Comrade?" I gave him a cheeky grin  
"I don't know." He clearly hadn't taken it as a joke.  
"It was Ambrose" I shrugged  
"what did he want?" he asked a tone of jealously evident in his voice, as his guardian mask faded the jealously was evident on his face  
"he wanted to give me a note from someone" this was the longest we'd gone without arguing, making false statements or spitting insults at one another AND he was clearly jealous. I could get used to this.  
"Who from?" he questioned suspiciously, I moved to sit beside him weary of the guardians and pulled the note out of my pocket handing it to him as our hands touched I felt a surge of electricity pass between us and my heart rate picked up tenfold. I looked between his face and our hands, I didn't want to let go ever again.

"Dimitri…don't you see. We can't fight this. You can't fight this." My heart was in my throat and tears began to well in my eyes "I love you and I know you love me, please just tell me I'm right." I gulped blinking back the tears scolding myself for not being stronger. It was amazing how quick a moment could change.  
"I do love you Roza…but I can't be with you, I've done too much to you" he answered sadly "I can't look at you without feeling unworthy."  
"I'll never give up on us Dimitri…" I whispered as he pulled me into his arms, I closed my eyes crying silently into his chest.

I woke up a few hours later in Dimitri's bed still wrapped in his arms. I wasn't entirely sure what this meant, one minute he had been telling me he was unworthy of me and that we couldn't be together and the next I was in his arms feeling more secure than I had in months. I turned to face him and found him sleeping peacefully; I didn't want this to end. I knew that when he woke up he'd realise what he was doing and push me away again. I closed my eyes taking in his unmistakable scent, he was back. It was still so surreal.  
"Roza" he whispered softly "wake up" I felt his lips touch my forehead as he kissed it lightly.

I reluctantly opened my eyes afraid of what he would say next, but he said nothing we just laid there for hours as he held me. This was too good to be true.

"_Rose" _A voice said softly in my head, it was Lissa_  
"what's wrong Lissa?" _I asked in my mind hoping Lissa would hear me _"Can you hear me?"_  
_"Yes I can. My trial is today…I'm so scared." _  
_"Don't be scared Liss, I'm sure by now they've got you the best defence out there." _I replied masking my own fear _"what evidence have they got?"  
"The stake they found that killed Tatiana is the same one I used to save Dimitri, it has my finger prints on it too." _We may have been talking telepathically but there was a sad tone to her thoughts.  
_"Can I give evidence?" _I hoped and prayed that the fact that I knew without a doubt would be evidence enough _"I can check your thoughts and I'm still pulled into your head when you're experiencing strong emotions…" _I explained.  
_"I'll ask the lawyer when he comes by"_ her mind was buzzing with excitement and hope _"Will you…come with me to the trial, in my head?"  
"Of course I will Lissa, I'll be there with you the whole time."_

We finished talking as Dimitri looked down at me "Lissa?" I nodded "Dimitri, what does this mean?"  
"What does what mean?"  
"This" I looked down at our bodies intertwined like nothing had ever happened.

**A/N: So, what do you think? I don't want you to get your hopes up with Dimitri and Rose, there _might_ be more drama to come.**


	3. Gone in September

**A/N: I believe I got "Trial" and "Court" mixed up, but I won't be fixing it, I hope you don't mind. Now an appearance will be made by a personal favourite character of mine. A Huge thanks goes out to Katrina who edited this chapter for me. And thanks to everyone who has reviewed, favourited and story alerted this. I hope you like it =) Reviews are appreciated. But I don't demand them, I will update regardless of how many reviews I get! The title of the chapter isn't actually an indicator of timing in the story, it just sounded right ;) Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Lol. The title of the chapter - Gone in September Belongs to Mike Posner, another artist you should look out for.**

I got up quickly, I couldn't listen to him tell me we couldn't be together again. I've heard them one too many times and I never did listen to them.

"You know what, forget it," I said. "I know what you're going to say. I don't need to hear it…"

"Roza wait…" he started to say before I was pulled into Lissa's head.

She was in full panic mode as she was being led out of her cell by the guardians; I sent her calming waves. _"I'm here with you Lissa, it will be okay, I promise you," _I mentally said to her, hoping I managed to calm her a bit._ "I will do everything in my power to make sure nothing happens to you."_

I watched through her eyes as they led her through the halls toward the court. They had a guardian either side of her, her panic began to settle as I continued to send my calmness through the bond. They led her into the court and put her in the stand, I could see all of our friends and family sitting in the stands. Christian looked like a wreck, so did Adrian, Eddie had his stoic guardian face on, showing no emotion but the look in his eyes said he didn't feel that way, he was scared for her.

I watched through her eyes in my own shock as Dimitri was led into the court, why wasn't _I_ there? My blood began to boil, why was he there and not _me_? I was supposed to be her best friend and I was sitting here in the cell watching it through her eyes. The trial began as various guardians spoke, each gave their evidence. I felt the shock through me.

Where did all of this evidence come from?

Soon it was Lissa's defence lawyers turn to speak, he presented a witness. "I'd like to call Dimitri Belikov to the witness stand." I was probably now sitting in the cell looking completely blank with my mouth wide open, nice, real nice. They proceeded to swear Dimitri in before the lawyer began to question him.

"Where were you the night of Queen Tatiana's murder?" the lawyer questioned ominously, I knew I wasn't going to like his answer.

"I was with the princess," he replied. His face wore the famous guardian mask – stoic and emotionless, some of the crowd gasped while others shook their heads in disgust.

"How long were you with the princess?" the lawyer questioned.

"The entire night," his Russian accent was thick with guilt, or at least I thought it was guilt.

"Do you have a time line?"

"I'd say from about 6pm until about 6am," he answered, he sounded truthful. I saw the hurt expression on Christian's face through Lissa's eyes whereas my own sense of anger and betrayal filled me – how could they?

The lawyer asked Dimitri a few more questions before letting him go. I watched the rest of the trial as they decided to send Lissa to court, I couldn't help the small sense of smug satisfaction I felt. She was going back to prison until her trial in a few months. I pulled out of her head scolding myself for being so petty but I couldn't help it.

As I let my head rest against the hard pillow closing my eyes in an attempt to control my emotions, I was ready to cry again but I was too strong for that. I couldn't let Dimitri see me like this; I was sad and disappointed but mainly pissed off and that was the emotion intended to show Dimitri. He was led back into the cell a few minutes later; I fought to gain control of my emotions as I sat up looking at him.

"You disgust me," I hissed.

"It's not like…" he began to argue before I cut him off again.

"Well, I don't want to know about it, whatever the hell it is. I'm done trying." I put my own guardian mask on hoping that unlike Dimitri, my eyes could also mask the truth even though, I was actually falling apart inside. As if some divine intervention was taking place a guardian opened the cell door.

"Rose Hathaway, you have a visitor."

I was once again led to a fancy visiting room and was made to sit at the table. Feeling relieved that I had a visitor to distract me from Dimitri. Though the moment I saw who decided to grace me with his presence, I wasn't sure if I should be relieved for the distraction but I decided I should be.

"I see you are well Rosemarie," Abe chuckled harshly as he sat down across from me. Despite the fact that Abe Mazur is my father, the emotional bond wasn't quite there yet and we were so much alike I wasn't sure we could get along.

"Oh yes very well, _Zmey_…" There was a tone of sarcasm in my voice as I used his nickname among the people of Russia. "If you've come here to laugh at me dear father, give it a rest."

"Actually, I had come here to bail you, the laughter was just a bonus, can't you see the irony of the circumstances?" he gave another light chuckle.

"So are you actually going to bail me out, daddy dearest?" I didn't have time for his jokes.

"Sure am, honey bunch," he said. "Also, I suppose you'd like me to bail out your _boyfriend_?" There was a tone of resentment and anger in the word boyfriend, was my father becoming protective of me? I did not see that one coming.

"Actually..." Dimitri and Lissa could rot in this place for all I cared at the moment. "...no, I wouldn't."

"Are you sure?" the look of shock was evident on Abe's face – he obviously didn't see that one coming.

"One hundred and ten percent sure, old man." I grinned a little.

"Well then, I'll go bail you out." We both stood up and I reached over the table and hugged him. Oh this was definitely a surprise to the both of us. We didn't get along but at least he was bailing me out and getting me away from Dimitri at the same time. I never actually thought I'd be glad to get away from Dimitri until now. I couldn't stand staying in that cell with him.

I was led back to the cell once Abe went to sort things out. Dimitri had just been sitting on the edge of the bed until he heard me coming in. He stood up, looking like he wanted to say something but instead I cut him off.

"I'm getting bailed out," I said, trying to keep my composure as I looked at him. "By my dad," I added. I said that because I knew he had no idea I'd even met my father, I wanted to hurt him by showing him that he didn't know everything about me, that there was something he wasn't told.

"Your father?" a look of confusion and hurt crossed his face.

"My father," I shrugged. "Abe Mazur, maybe you've heard of him. Your family didn't seem to trust him but my mother does so he can't be that bad."

"When did you meet him?"

"In Russia – when I went looking for you," I replied. The memory of going back there to kill the Strigoi Dimitri sent shivers down my spine but the Dimitri in front of me was no longer Strigoi.

"I didn't know he was my father until I got back here," I finished off. It was becoming difficult to sound bubbly and happy when I was feeling horrible doing it, I got up as the Guardian opened the cell.

"Looks like your free Hathaway," he said dryly. I had been giving him attitude from the moment I'd been put in this cell.

"See you around, Dimka." I walked out with the guardian, a single tear rolling down my cheek.

I walked through the Royal court with Abe feeling a mixture of pain and relief, I was glad I was no longer trapped in the cell with Dimitri but at the same time I was still hurt that he and Lissa had done what they had done. Not only that but also the fact that I set out to intentionally hurt him, it wasn't like me.

"_Dad_, I know I shouldn't ask because you've done a lot for me but…" The fact that I had just called him – _dad – _stopped him in his tracks. It wasn't that I _wanted _to call him that but my pride had taken too many hits in one day for me to care about it now. "I would like to travel and I don't have the money..."

"Well, I can give you some money," he said and continued walking. "But only if you take a guardian with you," he added. I rolled my eyes at the suggestion; I was more than capable of looking after myself. "There are people who don't see eye to eye with me Rose and now that people know you're my daughter that puts you in a lot more danger. No Guardian, no travel."

"Fine," I frowned, knowing this was my only opportunity to get away.

I stood in the airport terminal waiting for the Guardian my father had arranged to escort me on my trip. This was going to be interesting but a bit of a bother. For a moment, I felt _almost_ like a Moroi even, though that is way beyond me. My father and I continued to stand there for a few more minutes before a guy approached us that made me glance at my father and back at the guardian before us.

He had short scruffy light brown hair, gorgeous crystal blue eyes, his face was smooth and clean shaven. His skin was lightly tanned and to top it off, he didn't look like most guardians, for one, he was shorter than most and he had a stocky build. Yet, my father seemed to trust him.

"Mr Mazur," he spoke with a melodic yet rugged English accent as he shook my father's hand.

"Guardian Eastwood," Abe smiled at the man before introducing me. "This is my daughter, Rosemarie Hathaway." I found myself blushing as I shook his hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Miss Hathaway," he kissed my hand lightly.

"Please, call me Rose and it's nice to meet you too, Guardian Eastwood." Once he let go of my hand, I put it in my pocket.

"You can call me Asher." He smiled sweetly. Wow.

**A/N: I think it's obvious that Abe is one of my favourite characters. Lol. And what do you think of Asher? I'm personally in love with him…but I'm slightly bias. Reviews please and thank you.**


	4. If You Ever Come Back

**A/N: this is a really long chapter for me, I'm pleased with it. Apologies for the delay between chapters, I've been busy with assignments. Thank you to Katrina for editing this chapter for me 3 and I hope you all enjoy this. Reviews would be appreciated but once again I will update regardless.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing :( the chapter title – If you ever come back, belongs to The Script, who I borrowed the song title from. Definitely a band worth checking out.**

I sat in the departures lounge with Asher. Abe had left and we were waiting for our flight, Abe had decided to surprise me with the destination and it was driving me nuts.

"Do you know what the surprise is, Asher?" I couldn't look at him in case he smiled at me again.

"I do," he chuckled lightly. "But the surprise isn't for me and I don't intend on pissing Abe off."I took a deep breath trying to regain my composure.

"You didn't factor in pissing _me_ off, did you?" I punched his shoulder lightly. "If you don't tell me, the next punch will be a lot harder."

"A punch doesn't scare me Rose," he gave me a cheeky grin

"Oh yeah?" I raised my fist aiming it for his eye. "What about the prospect of a black eye?" He caught my arm before my fist could connect with his face.

"How about no black eye?" he chuckled again. "Do you really want to know?"

"Obviously," I rolled my eyes.

"We're going to…" He leant forward and whispered in my ear. "...still not telling." The warmth of his breath on the side of my face sent a shiver down my spine. I couldn't bring myself to speak staring ahead speechless.

"That's what I thought," he chuckled cockily; we continued our playful banter until our flight number was called. He put his arm around my shoulders, as we approached the checking desk. I instantly began to shrug his arm away feeling as if I was betraying Dimitri when I remembered… he was the one who betrayed me. I let him keep his arm there pushing my ridiculous guilty thoughts away.

"Mr and _Mrs_ Eastwood, enjoy your flight," the female at the desk said handing Asher the tickets as I looked at Asher in alarm; he led me away from the desk. An apparent smirk settling on his lips before he spoke.

"Your father booked the tickets this way so that you couldn't call and find out where we're headed," he chuckled lightly.

"All of this just for a surprise trip. Wow." I shook my head.

My father really was something else. I was beginning to get comfortable with Asher's warm, protective arm around me. We sat down on the plane buckling our belts as the pilot began to speak, I was too busy thinking about Dimitri and Asher and everything else that I only heard the end of it "…I hope you all enjoy your flight to Greece."

I was still shocked that Abe had managed to do this for me but I was oddly excited. The sound of sunny Greece had me grinning, I could sleep on my own schedule, no one to protect, no one to betray me, just relaxation. Spending time with Asher was sounding better than ever.

After a few hours of corny movies and babies crying I found myself asleep. Suddenly I was outside the ski lodge where Adrian and I first met. I looked down at the long strapless blood red gown I was in and instantly knew Adrian was behind it.

"Adrian, where are you?" he stepped out of the shadows in front of me. I felt horrible, I'd forgotten about him in my rush to get away.

"Hello Little Dhampir," there was an underlying tone of sadness in his voice

"Hi…," I held my breath for a moment; I knew what I had to do – what I had to say. "I'm sorry for leaving without say goodbye and forgetting about you. It's just... with everything that's been happening... I just can't deal with it."

"I understand, Little Dhampir," he smiled a little.

"I want to say something…," I trailed off feeling almost guilty as I took a deep breath before continuing. "...I'm sorry Adrian… but I can't keep pretending that our relationship is going to work. I love Dimitri and I _always_ will, as much as that might hurt you and even for me to admit. It has to be said. I do love you Adrian but it's not the same, I know you think you're in love with me but I think there's someone out there for you and I want you to meet that person and not be held back by me. I hope-"

"Rose," Adrian said, cutting me off before I could finish. "I didn't expect you to be with me forever, I hoped you would be... but I knew it wouldn't happen."

"Are you sure? I really don't want to lose you," I definitely wanted to keep him around though I still did feel guilty for not giving him a _real _chance.

"Of course not, Little Dhampir," he assured me though I knew he was still sad over the breakup. "I'll always be there for you, in your dreams, in reality, anytime you need me." He pulled me into a tight hug as we broke apart I chuckled. I sighed, relieved that he seemed okay with it.

"What have you been up to Adrian?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Just been trying to help Lissa."

"Oh…," I trailed off even more uncomfortable at the mention of Lissa.

"You should know that Lissa and Dimitri did nothing like _that_ while they were together." he chuckled like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Though it still bothered me that they were together for a very long time.

"How do I know that's true, Adrian?" I frowned.

"Because neither of them would ever do that to you," he said. "I talked to Lissa after the trial she said she could feel your anger and resentment and she heard what you were thinking. She tried to talk to you through your bond but you've been keeping your walls up." Guilt washed over me as he explained. How could I even think that about them? I _should've_ known better.

"I wouldn't worry so much about it, Little Dhampir, when you come back I'm sure they'll understand," he said as if he knew exactly what I was thinking. "You _will_ come back, won't you?"

"I'm not coming back yet Adrian, I need to get away, to clear my head and keep myself occupied for a while, I'm no use to anyone the way I am." I sighed; I can't go back so easily. I still needed a break from all this.

"Are you sure?" I nodded and hugged him again.

"I'm sure. Now can I have my own dreams back, please? I'll see you soon." I kissed his cheek. "Thanks for understanding, Adrian."

"Have a good trip and be safe, Little Dhampir," he said before the dream faded. "You will definitely see me soon."

I opened my eyes slowly as I heard Asher saying my name. "Rose, wake up…," he said quietly, at that point I was regretting opening my eyes, I wanted to hear more of his accent.

"Yes?" I looked at him blinking slowly as my eyes adjusted to the light.

"The plane is landing in a couple of hours, I thought you might like to eat and have a drink before then." He gave me another one of his dazzling smiles.

"Thanks Asher," I smiled and began to eat my meal conscious of his eyes on me. He was someone who I got along with instantly, considering I'd been more than reluctant to even have a guardian he was making it worth it. He seemed more like a friend then a guardian my father had hired to travel with me, I still wasn't sure if he really could fight a Strigoi or Even a human though. I finished my food and looked at Asher. "So do you know of any good night spots in Athens?"

"I do, I've been to Athens a few times," he shrugged. "I'll take you to my favourite place when we get there."

The flight passed quickly as Asher and I continued to talk. The more we talked the more familiar he became, less and less the guardian who had been assigned to look after me by my father. We stepped out of the plane into the heat, it hit us right away but it was amazing to be out in the sun and not have to worry about anyone growing weaker, I could sleep at night and live during the day. This was _real _freedom for me. I had every intention of lying out in the sun and getting an amazing tan. After an hour we made our way out of the very packed, very hot airport. Asher led me toward the chauffer holding a sign with our names on it.

"Wow, _Dad_ really went all out." There was obvious sarcasm in the word dad; I had called him that a few times but it didn't sound as good as _Zmey_ did.

"I think he's just happy to have you in his life, Rose," Asher smiled, for a moment I had forgotten that my father would've briefed him on our relationship as father and daughter.

We followed the chauffer to the stretched limo that my father had apparently arranged; he really didn't do inconspicuous and subtle in any way. I climbed into the back of the limo settling on the seat closest to the door, it may have been huge but I liked knowing the doors were right there; maybe it was a guardian thing. Asher sat beside me in silence, I wondered what he really thought about me and being my guardian, I wasn't a _Royal_, I wasn't even a _Moroi_. I was just a plain old Dhampir who probably looked like a spoilt brat being babysat by a good looking guardian. Maybe I would find out in the future but at the moment I was thankful we got along, especially when we're acting like a married couple. The limo pulled up outside the Athens Hilton about twenty minutes later.

We walked into the lobby arm in arm, it still felt strange to be in another man's arms. I realised just how much I missed the feeling of lying there in the cell with Dimitri, the feeling that he really did care, I missed his smell, I missed his eyes, all of it, as much as I still wasn't sure about what went on between Dimitri and Lissa it still hurt to find out without being told by either of them.

We approached the front desk as Asher spoke in his dazzling accent. "Hi there, I've booked a King Executive Acropolis suite," he smiled a dashing smile at the female behind the desk, she was practically hypnotized.

"Okay, what name is it under?" she asked, I could've been standing there, completely naked for all she cared.

"Asher _and_ Rose Eastwood." The girl scowled at me as she typed the names into the computer in front of her before retrieving our key.

"Here you go sir," she smiled seductively handing him the key; there was a pang of jealously running through me as he smiled back at her taking the key. What was that? Why in the world was I jealous? He turned to me before placing his arm around my shoulders again. We reached our top floor suite about 5 minutes later, a comfortable silence enveloped us as we entered the room, and it was huge. I studied the room carefully, in the middle sat a large king bed with a wooden carved headboard and about ten fluffy white pillows. It looked super comfortable. The room was furnished with furniture that both complimented and matched the bed; the couches had light gold upholstery and wooden framing, they were extremely expensive looking as was the rest of the room, I picked up a remote that was lying on the bedside and pressed a random button as a flat screen TV began to rise out of the cabinet at the end of the bed. Wow. This room was everything and more.

I looked back at Asher who was looking out the window. "What are you looking at?"

"Just the beautiful view, come here," he didn't look away from the window; I moved to stand beside him.

"It's… amazing," I mumbled mesmerized by the view of Athens. It was a bit like when I got to Russia, I had spent so much time not really thinking much about it until I saw it for my own eyes, they were both stunning places but Athens was different, it truly looked like the God's had once lived in this city. I stood there for a few more minutes taking in every detail of the scenery before looking at Asher. He seemed to be thinking about something, he wore a look of sadness as his gaze stayed on the same spot the entire time.

"So Asher, what time do you want to head out tonight?" he finally looked away from the window. He was smiling but I could feel a bit of sadness behind it. I was beginning to wonder why.

"I'm not sure Rose, maybe 8? We could go to dinner then go have some fun," he suggested.

"Sounds like a plan," I smiled and nodded. I went over to the bed letting my body flop backwards onto it and before I knew it I was out like a light.

"Rose," a familiar accent said. "Its 7pm, we're supposed to go in an hour." I slowly opened my eyes to find Asher sitting on the edge of the bed beside me with a warm smile after shaking my shoulder lightly.

"Shit, why didn't you wake me up earlier?" I groaned, getting up.

"Well, you looked so peaceful," he said simply. "Now I'm going to watch some television while you get ready."

I got up and walked over to my suitcase. I began looking for something suitable to wear. Asher was wearing a dark pair of jeans with a grey shirt and a black blazer and some black leather shoes, his hair was as messy as it was the moment I met him. I pulled out a turquoise dress I had bought a months ago, it was strapless and cropped just below the chest area, it was tight fitting and sat just below the upper thigh, the dress hugged my body and emphasized my curves. It didn't leave much to the imagination much like the dress Tasha had given me before the trip to ski lodge, but that was exactly why I bought it, I was old enough to make my own decisions and not have my mother lecturing me on what to wear.

I picked up the dress and my other essentials entering the bathroom; I locked the door behind me and stripped away my travel clothes before turning the shower on. I waited until the water was scolding hot and got in letting the water hit the knots in my shoulders and back, I slowly relaxed letting all the thoughts drift away. I didn't want to think about Lissa or Dimitri or Adrian or anything else in this moment, it was time to let go for a while and have some fun with Asher.

As I washed my hair my thoughts soon drifted to Dimitri and how much he loved it, he was the one who told me to keep my hair long, to tie it back unlike the rest of the female Guardians who cut their hair into short pixie type cuts to show off their _Molnija_ marks, it was a part of me that I wasn't willing to lose. I began to scold myself for letting my thoughts drift so easily to him, the more I told myself not to think about Dimitri the more I did.

I turned the water off and got out of the shower wrapping a towel around my body, I took a few deep breaths to calm myself before drying my body off before slipping my dress on, it fit like a glove and the turquoise colour contrasted perfectly with my dark hair and made my tan skin look darker, I ran a brush through my wet hair letting it dry naturally as I applied some make up. I stepped out of the bathroom as Asher turned to greet me.

"You look amazing Rose," he said as he attempted to pull his eyes away from my body.

"You don't look so bad yourself, Ash," I gave him a lazy grin flattered by his reaction. I pulled a purse out of my suitcase, placing the essentials in it, lipstick, my stake – my freedom still had a down side, some cash and my cell phone.

It was 8:30pm by the time Asher and I left the hotel on foot, the place he wanted to take me wasn't far from the hotel. We walked further up ahead until began to turn into a side alley, an uneasy feeling swept through me as Asher led me in. "It's just a quick short cut rather than going right around the block," he explained, as we got closer to exiting the alley, a familiar wave of nausea hit me.

"Asher… Strigoi!" I managed to get out before I was hit in the back of the head.

**A/N: Soo...what did you think?**


	5. Sick of You

**A/N: I hope you guys like this and aren't disappointed with it. I haven't had it edited and I'm not likely to edit it myself, I hope any mistakes don't affect this too much. This is back to normal length. I hope you enjoy the fight scene I tried to make it realistic =) Reviews are appreciated. Thanks to everyone who favourited, Story alerted, Reviewed and Author Alerted. All feedback, suggestions and constructive criticism is welcome. **

**I have another Vampire Academy story in mind; I've even started it a little. It is and would be based around the movie the Duchess, what do you think of that idea? Anyways I won't be updating until at least the 4****th**** of November (New Zealand time) because I have Exams coming up and I really should study. Anyways, Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own anything well, I suppose I own Asher =D the title "Sick of You" belongs to Selena Gomez and The Scene. Her new album is worth checking out =)**

I hit the ground like a tonne of bricks but I didn't pass out, I shook away the pain got to my feet pulling my stake out of my purse. I found myself in the middle of a stare down between Asher and a Female Strigoi, she looked amused.

"It's nice to see you again Asher..." she chuckled; she was extremely beautiful even with her red ringed eyes. I could tell she had darker hair and very delicate features. She spoke with a thick accent I couldn't recognise.

"It's a shame I can't say the same for you Gina." He snarled his voice full of emotion  
"my my, don't we have an attitude" she mused "I see you've found a friend in Miss Hathaway here" why was it that every Strigoi knew who I was?  
"And who the hell are you?" I spat, I was pissed. Really pissed, I now had a massive headache thanks to the bitch.

"I'm Gina Shay." She grinned cockily "Boy do you have a reputation; a lot of Strigoi have a problem with you. I remember the way Dimitri described you, he sure was accurate about your looks and your attitude" She chuckled, I felt myself freeze at the mention of Dimitri…_my _beautiful Dhampir Dimitri "It's a shame I'm going to kill you because he really is a hot piece of arse." she grinned wickedly.

Behind her I could now see at least three more Strigoi but I couldn't get my body to move, I couldn't even think of one of my usual witty responses. I was frozen.

"Leave her out of this Gina, your problem is with me." Asher finally spoke "I was going to propose to you and then YOU became a monster." His voice was filled with bitterness and pain "by choice" he choked out.  
"It's not that simple Asher, I became a Strigoi so we could be together forever." She sounded cold and bitter, it didn't sound genuine. It was yet another reminder of Dimitri and the time we spent together in Russia. "I asked you to be with me forever and you said no" she hissed.  
"I said no to becoming a monster, I was taught from birth that Dhampir's protect Moroi and that Strigoi are monsters. I will always believe that. You had your whole future ahead of you and you threw it away to become a soulless, heartless, cold, calculating killer" he spat as a single tear ran down his cheek.

He was like a different person, an unfamiliar person. The rest of the Strigoi surrounded us, Gina stood directly in front of Asher.  
"You just made killing you that much easier, but I think…" she paused for a moment letting her words take effect "I think we should have some fun first."

The Strigoi behind us took action restraining me as I was finally pulled out of frozen state; I struggled against their tight constraint. The more I struggled the harder their grip got. I looked on still being held back by the Strigoi as Asher began to fight, he was fast. Gina stood back and watched as Asher fought some of her back up. He got struck with a hard blow to the face by Gina.

I finally managed to break the tight hold the other Strigoi had on me, I struck Strigoi to my left – a tall thin male – in the stomach hitting as hard as I possibly could, tightening my grip around my stake. I realised that Asher was struggling against his own group of Strigoi as Gina once again stood back and watched.

I managed to hold my own as I pushed my stake into the chest of the male Strigoi managing to force it through his ribs into his heart. He dropped to the ground as the two struck harder than before. The one going the hardest was another female Strigoi, she was about 5'7 and had short brown hair she looked angry.

"Did I kill your lover sweetheart?" I chuckled; I was trying to buy myself some time by distracting her.  
"You did" she hissed as she attempted to punch my shoulder, I blocked it and kicked her in the stomach pulling her by the shoulders and shoving the stake into her chest through her ribs as it pierced her heart, I felt a pair of hands grab me by the neck. I held my stake tighter than before, I was sure this was it. I was going to die.

"Jonathon, do not kill her" Gina hissed as she caught sight of our situation. He grunted and threw me to the ground kicking me in the stomach roughly, I groaned and started to get up he kicked me in the back. I got up to see Asher fighting a losing battle he was struggling against 3 Strigoi, I had clearly underestimated the amount of Strigoi Gina had as back up.

As quick as I was up, I was back down on the ground again being whacked roughly in the head. I struggled to keep conscious as my eyelids felt heavy, the darkness consumed me and I was out like a light.

I opened my eyes slowly as my head throbbed with pain, I was tightly restrained, and my arms were aching from the tightness of the rope around them. I strained my neck taking in my surroundings the room was lavish, it had rich red and black floral wallpaper and thick red curtains over what appeared to be the window, the was a black fireplace on the wall opposite the bed, above the fireplace sat a painting of what looked like a Greek god and goddess, to the left of the bed was a gold and black dresser and beside the fireplace sat a gold and red upholstered couch. I studied my surroundings taking in every detail, what else was I going to do?

My thoughts soon drifted to Asher…Shit ASHER. A million thoughts popped into my head. Dead? Dying? Tortured? Captured? Was the whole thing a set up? I couldn't help but wonder why he had led me into that alley at that moment. For some reason I didn't think so. Not with how he had spoken to Gina.

I thought of contacting Lissa but I wasn't ready to communicate with her, I would get out of this myself. I had no idea how; but I would. My thoughts of escaping were interrupted by the door slamming open, Gina stepped into the room "well well Hathaway, not so tough now are we?" she chuckled "I just came to return Asher."

A moment later she returned dragging a lifeless looking Asher into the room, he was battered and bruised and there bite marks on his neck "you're disgusting" I hissed as I struggled to contain my emotions. I was bought back to when Dimitri had held me captive in Russia, constantly drinking from me to keep me drugged up; I hoped Asher wasn't going to be turned against his will.

"You're extremely lucky the suns rising Hathaway or that would be you next" her tone was dangerous  
"I'd like to see you try Shay" I replied trying to bait her, the last name addressing thing was catching on.  
"What are you going to do? You're tied up" she stepped closer and leaned toward my neck.

I fought to control the urge I had to tilt my neck, it was an inbuilt response. I kept fighting as my head stayed perfectly still, I would not give her a clear shot at this or the satisfaction of knowing I was addicted. She pulled away a smirk playing on her lips "maybe later Hathaway" she sung happily before leaving the room. Asher was slumped on the floor looking weak and helpless, I frowned trying to think of what to do.

"Asher, you have to get on the bed. I know you're hurting and you're all drugged up on endorphins but you have to get onto this bed." I said firmly  
"Later" he murmured still slumped on the floor.  
"Come on Asher, get up" I commanded, I was trying not to get frustrated with him as I pushed the rest of my emotions away. He slowly stumbled to his feet; he was completely out of it. He finally made it to the bed and collapsed beside me. I considered asking him to untie me but he was in no fit state to do that, it would have to wait.

"Good, now you can rest. Its okay Asher, you're safe with me. I won't let her hurt you" I felt protective of Asher, he was a reminder of the time I'd spent with Dimitri in Russia, except, then I had no one to protect me. But in this situation I could protect him-I would protect him.

**A/N: Well what did you think?**


	6. Breakin' at the Cracks

**A/N: Sorry about the lack of updates, I had a couple of exams and I attempted to focus on study, however, now that I'm done with uni, I should update more. This Chapter is in Both Rose and Dimitri's points of view, I hope you like how I wrote as Dimitri. Anyways, Enjoy! Thanks for all the favourites, reviews and story alerts, I really appreciate it. Oh and forgive me if Abe was given a different element in the books, I didn't think he had but he now specializes in fire. Also, the time's may not match up but I figure Rose could have been in and out of consciousness. Anyways I'm boring you. Again, Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Again, Richelle, if you're reading this, Dimitri please. The title 'Breakin' at the Cracks' belongs to Colbie Caillat, whose songs represent a huge chunk of my life.**

**Dimitri's POV**

I stood at the door of my cell as it was unlocked "It's your lucky day Belikov, you're being bailed out" the guard said as he led me out of the cell, all I wanted to do was find Rose and explain how wrong she had been about the princess and I.  
"May I ask who paid for my bail?" I spoke softly as not to startle the guardian  
"You were bailed out by Abe Mazur…" I hoped the shock didn't register on my face. Had Rose gotten her father to bail me out? I walked out of the jail to see the man himself standing there.  
"Mr Mazur, thank you for bailing me out" I held my hand out for him to shake  
"Don't push it Belikov" He didn't make a move to return the gesture "I'm doing this because my daughter has gone missing." It was with those words that my whole world came crashing down around me.  
"Missing?" I questioned frantically "where was she before she went missing?"  
"I sent her to Athens in Greece and she hasn't been back to her hotel in two days. I sent a Guardian with her but I haven't heard from either of them." He explained remaining perfectly calm.  
"What do you want me to do?" I questioned  
"I want you to find her and bring her back here" he said in matter of fact tone, his facial expressions matched the ones I often saw Rose make. They even spoke in a similar manner; it was a strange but comforting occurrence.  
"I will find her Mr Mazur, I just have one request. Could you get me in to visit the princess?" I paused trying to gauge his reaction "her bond with Rose might help, if Rose is in trouble her focus won't be on keeping her mental walls up" I explained.

He led me back toward the prison stopping at the front desk, Abe was far from modest in fashion, he wore long black pants, clearly designer label and a large woollen coat with fur trimming, he also wore a mink scarf around his neck. His dark hair was loosely styled and his eyes betrayed him, he walked with a confident swagger but his eyes spoke the truth – he was worried.  
"I'd like to visit Princess Vasilisa" he said to the female sitting at the front desk, his eyes boring into hers. He was using compulsion.  
"Okay" she nodded as her eyes glazed over  
"can you take me to her?" he asked as she nodded.

She stood up and led him to Vasilisa's cell "Can you open the door?" he spoke again, there were only two guardians around this area of cell's, they didn't count Lissa as much of a threat. The woman nodded and opened the cell door as Vasilisa sat there with a blank look on her face -She was in Rose's head. I sat down beside her as Abe sent the woman from the front desk away, I looked up at him "She's in Rose's head" I explained, not wanting him to disrupt her yet. She needed to see as much as possible. We sat there for a few more minutes when she finally snapped out of it.

"Rose…she's in trouble" she whispered  
"where is she?" I questioned urgently  
"In…in a red and black room" she stuttered, she was extremely scared "there's red and black floral wallpaper, it's very fancy…it doesn't make sense"  
"is there anyone with her?" Abe asked before I could  
"A guy, but he's hurt, he's been bitten" she spoke gravely  
"did you hear his name?" he questioned again looking even more worried than before.  
"It's Asher…why?" Vasilisa questioned, I was wondering the same  
"that's the guardian I sent with Rose…he's one of the best." Abe explained  
"Rose was thinking about his ex-girlfriend. I think…she's a Strigoi" her voice was barely a whisper when she said Strigoi. What had Roza gotten herself into? I sighed. I had to save her; I wouldn't let her get hurt.  
"We need to start looking at hotels and apartments in Athens" I commanded "and we need to get Vasilisa out of here" I said in a quieter tone  
"leave it to me" Vasilisa spoke, surprising me. I watched as she stood up and stepped out of the cell.  
"Guardian Fadeuka, can I please speak to you?" she sounded innocent  
"Sure princess" he approached; their eyes locked as she began to speak again  
"I need you to let me out" the compulsion had taken over "go tell the other guard you can handle us and then come back as soon as the other guard leaves" he nodded and approached the other guard who left after a bit of discussion, he came back looking for more direction.

"Now you and Guardian Belikov will escort me out, you will tell the woman at the front desk that you are escorting me to my lawyer, once we have been let out of the gate you will leave and forget this ever happened, do you understand?" he nodded. I stood up as we took Vasilisa's arms leading her out of the cell, we got past the front desk and out the gates without trouble, I was extremely surprised at how easy it had been. I watched as jeep wrangler pulled up outside the gate and one of Abe's guardian's hopped out.  
"Thank you Guardian Czar" Abe took the cars keys from him hopping into the driver's seat "well come on you two." I helped Vasilisa into the car before strapping myself in, Abe sped down the road, it wouldn't take long for the guardians to realise that the princess wasn't coming back. It seemed almost ironic that Vasilisa was the one being broken out of prison, of all the people I would have expected to break out it wasn't her. I would have expected to be breaking Rose out of prison.

"I'm going to check on Rose" Vasilisa broke the silence that had over taken the car. Her face took on the same blank look. I watched curiously, her face took on a horrified expression, my curiosity turned to panic. It was in my nature to stay calm but this wasn't just anyone, this was Rose.

She managed to pull herself out of Rose's head after an hour, she winced each time Rose suffered pain; it was excruciating to watch, knowing that Rose was on the one who was truly experiencing the pain.

"What's going on Vasilisa?" I questioned urgently, we were just about at the airport.  
"She…she was…cutting her" Vasilisa began to sob "and…and…." She was sobbing so hard she couldn't continue. I placed a comforting arm around her; scolding myself for wishing it was Rose I was holding.

We got to the private airport where the private jet Abe had organized was waiting. I led Vasilisa onto the plane sitting across from her. During the long flight she was pulled into Rose's head multiple times and each time she sobbed, I was beginning to believe that we wouldn't get there in time. The flight passed painfully slowly, every minute on that plane was spent thinking of Rose, praying that I would find her alive. Eventually we got to Athens, it was after 5 am, we had to get there soon before the Strigoi disappeared for the day.

Abe received a few calls. He hung the final call and looked back at us "they've found the place, it's an apartment." The guardian drove extremely fast, I was pleased with that fact. We reached the apartment block 30 minutes later. I was out of the car in seconds, as Abe and his guardian followed, I wasn't sure if we were going to be out numbered but I think neither Abe nor I cared at this point.

I was praying for the element of surprise as got up to the apartment, I kicked the door down rushing in. There were 5 Strigoi in the hall alone. The battle began as I fought two Strigoi, they had underestimated my speed, I kicked one in the stomach before punching the other as hard as I could in the face, the first Strigoi had recovered from my shot whilst the other stumbled backward, I blocked a few of the first Strigoi's hits shoving him into his partner. This was the advantage I needed, he reached out to steady himself leaving the perfect spot for me to plunge the stake into his heart, and he crumbled to the ground the life fading from him.

His partner was up again, we fought for a while before I got my chance to stake him; nothing was going to stop me from getting to my Roza. Nothing at all. Abe's Guardian had been fighting three Strigoi, I went to distract one of them when he burst into the flames, I plunged the stake into his chest using it as a distraction.

We finally found ourselves rid of the rest of the Strigoi, we checked most of the rooms, we found Asher still out to it on a bed before continuing down the hall to another room. Opening the door I saw three more Strigoi, as there was my Roza, she was bloody and battered and I was about to kill the Strigoi responsible for it. Gina Shay. I approached one of the other Strigoi as we began to fight, this Strigoi was clearly new as I found my clear spot, I staked the Strigoi about to approach Gina before she burst into flames. I let her burn, I could finally save Roza. I untied her cradling her in my arms, I held her tight, she was crying.  
"Let's get you out of here Roza" I whispered carrying her toward the door, she asked about Asher before passing out. I was happy that I had her in my arms, we'd found her alive.  
**Rose's POV**

I watched Asher sleeping feeling completely useless, I had vowed to protect him but how could I? I couldn't even move my arms.  
"Gina….no please tell me this is a joke" Asher murmured in his sleep. I wondered if he was dreaming about when she had revealed herself to be a Strigoi, it had to have hurt. Just knowing Dimitri was Strigoi had torn me apart, I don't think I would've coped if he had become Strigoi by choice. I hoped I could come up with a plan to save Asher and I, I didn't intend on dying or becoming Strigoi or for either of those to happen to Asher. Asher's hand were free…he could untie my hands if he weren't a bloody broken exhausted mess. I didn't realise how long it had been until the door slammed open and Gina walked in.  
"Hello Hathaway" she crowed evilly, she didn't scare me but her menacing tone didn't provide me with any comfort  
"Leave Asher alone" I hissed  
"I'm not here for Asher sweetheart." She chuckled she stepped aside allowing a couple of Strigoi in, they untied my arms pulling me over Asher who was still out to it, I started to struggle attempting to loosen their hold on me, but the more I struggled the harder their grip became. Gina stepped out of the room instructing them to follow her, the hall was dark, in the faint light I could make out gold wallpaper and the odd piece of furniture. After a long walk down the hall Gina finally stopped at a door opening it and entering ahead of us. Fear pulsed through me, what did she have in store for me?  
The Strigoi carried me into the room as I forced myself to look, it was a makeshift torture chamber, it had been darkened once again with thick curtains over the windows and black floral wallpaper walls. It was bare of furniture apart from a chair in the middle of the room and what looked like some kind of kinky sex frame. I was led over to it; my arms were strapped up in lightning speed. I was about to take the beating of a life time.

Gina approached, stopping when she was face to face with me.  
"You can't even fight your own battles you weak bitch, a big powerful Strigoi who needs a bunch of buddies and rope to do your dirty work" I snarled at her, we both knew I was right.  
"What are you going to do about it Hathaway?" she chuckled  
"if you untie me you'll find out." I hissed at her, she was really starting to piss me off -Again. She punched me hard in the stomach.  
"This is more fun" she chuckled as I coughed  
"Coward" I yelled, the pain wasn't horrible, I'd had worse in training.  
"Your words don't matter to me sweetheart" she hissed again

"but you're admitting I'm right." I replied, baiting her probably wasn't the best idea.  
"I still don't care what you have to say…the more you talk to harder the hits will be. I suggest you shut up right now." She cackled evilly, I was beginning to be afraid but she would never see my fear.  
"If what I say doesn't matter, why do you bother talking to me at all?" I questioned. I watched as a table was placed beside her, it held several tools and other objects that could cause some serious pain. The fear began to grow, she meant business and I had just provoked her.

"Regardless of whether I care, I'm going to make you regret it" she cackled again picking up a knife "shall I start with your pretty little face?" she said running the blade down my cheek, she didn't pierce my skin. I refused to show any fear and I hoped my eyes didn't betray me. She applied more pressure, as I felt my cheek begin to ache; it was a dull pain at first but as the knife dug deeper the pain became more intense.

I closed my eyes refusing to wince, I almost wished that she had bitten me first; the pleasure of the bite would've taken all worry of pain away. She was soon finished with knife as the different forms of torture kept rolling on. By the end of her torture session I was covered in blood and barely conscious, I was wishing for Dimitri. The pain was excruciating and Gina looked thoroughly pleased with her. I began to pray, I was praying for Dimitri, I knew it was pathetic but I needed him now more than ever. I wasn't sure how long it had been but the bits I remembered were painful enough.

"Coward" I whispered, I knew that her enhanced hearing would pick up on it but I just didn't care anymore, it was going to be over soon. I hoped that the blood and sweat that covered my face hid the tears I was shedding. I felt helpless, completely helpless. This wasn't the situation I wanted to be in.  
"God you're pathetic "she laughed "I can't to end your pathetic life." She hissed taking a step toward me.

I closed my eyes waiting for the final blow, the deadly blow. I wished I could fight her but I had no chance. I waited and waited until I heard a gurgled scream, I opened my eyes to see Gina burning as she aimlessly clawed at her body and the other Strigoi dead. Then I saw him…Dimitri. I was crying harder than I had before, he was here, I had been wishing for him, praying for him. He came over untying my battered arms and picking my body up as I groaned in pain.  
"Let's get you out of here Roza" he whispered, his voice was pained.  
"Asher…" I murmured close to passing out.  
"Guardian Czar has him" Dimitri assured me, I was safe, I was finally safe. I clung tightly too Dimitri, none of the senseless drama from Court mattered anymore. I would stay in his arms forever if I had my way. I let my heavy eyelids close before passing out; the darkness welcomed me with warm arms.

**A/N: well do you think? :)**


	7. Haunted

**A/N: Apologies for the late update, I hope you enjoy this chapter, there's not a huge amount of drama in this chapter but I hope you like it. It's in Dimitri's POV because atm I feel it's easier to write as him. For the time being anyway. Excuse any missing words or typos, this hasn't been edited. Anyways, ENJOY. **

**Oh and a HUGE thanks to those reviewed the last chapter! I truly appreciate it. **

**Disclaimer: Sadly I don't own anything. **

I held Rose tight in my arms watching her sleep, it had been so painful to find so bloody and broken. I hoped that she could see past her anger with Vasilisa and allow her to heal her; I knew the pain would be unbearable. Even though she had been killed the thought of what Gina had done made my blood boil, her issue had not been with Rose it had been with Guardian Eastwood. I felt the guilt eating at me, this was my fault; she knew of Rose because of me, everything that happened to Rose was always because of me. I would always love her but I would never look at her the same, everything I did haunted me every day. Those people, those innocent people. I killed them in cold blood. Every face haunted me; it was painful. I was a different person now. I didn't want to live anymore; there was only one thing - person I had to live for. Rose. She needed me.

Rose's pattern of breathing increased slightly, she was waking up. She groaned loudly, I imagined it was due to the pain.  
"What's wrong Roza?" I questioned quietly, I didn't want to worry her  
"pain…" she murmured, the cuts on her face were painful to look at. Every mark on her body made me want to hit something.  
"Vasilisa can heal you" I offered cautiously, I was lucky she was so injured or she probably would've bitten my head off  
"Please…" she sounded reluctant but she was in too much pain to care.

I reluctantly let go of her, as if something could happen to her in the matter of moments it would take to get Vasilisa. I understood why Rose was angry at Vasilisa, but why wasn't she angry at me? I did feel connected to Vasilisa and I felt as if I'd gotten between them. I entered the living room conscious of leaving Roza.  
"Vasilisa, Rose wants you to heal her." I said simply, there was no other way of saying it  
"She does?" her voice filled with excitement, I knew there would be only disappointment for her.  
"Don't get your hopes up Vasilisa; you know she can hold a grudge." I said quietly before leading her into the room. She approached Rose silently, placing her hands above Rose's abdomen; she closed her eyes as I saw her magic work before my eyes, slowly Rose's pained expression faded and was replaced by relief. All of Rose's cuts and bruises faded. Rose looked at Lissa and something within her changed, she spoke softly "Thank you Lissa, we'll talk later" she looked sympathetic "you need to rest." Vasilisa simply nodded before turning to leave, I followed her out the door smiling a little.  
"she's softening up"  
"you think so?" she looked hopeful  
"I do" I nodded "Roza is right, you need to rest Vasilisa" she nodded once again and entered the other bedroom.

I entered the bedroom to find Rose cowering in fear under the covers, she was shaking uncontrollably and sobbing, it had to be the second scariest sight I'd ever seen in my Dhampir life. I pulled the covers back pulling her frail body into my arms "It's okay Roza…its okay…" I whispered quietly cradling her against my chest. It was like a whole new person had taken over, this wasn't the Rose I knew "you're safe, Gina's gone. I'm here to protect you" I cooed, she sobbed for hours as her sobs finally subsided she was once again exhausted, she soon fell asleep. Abe entered the room a few hours later, his face looked grim.  
"How is she?" he questioned  
"Scared, I've never ever seen her like this, she cried for hours." I sighed "she only stopped to give in to exhaustion" I explained, I knew she had been through a lot of torture, Strigoi were twisted creatures and they could inflict pain without any hesitation, they enjoyed the pain of others. Abe nodded and left the room once again, it was a strange sight, he reminded me so much of Rose and his fatherly concern for her was somewhat unexpected.

His face had worn a grim expression, even though he had killed the source of such terror, it pained him – as much as it did me, to see her like this. She was broken. She wasn't the same Rose Hathaway. A part of the carefree, sarcastic, innocent girl had faded in Spokane, then Russia had taken a huge chunk of that away and now it seemed as if maybe there was none of that Rose left. I wondered if the darkness had been a part of such an extreme reaction, after all, Vasilisa had used a great deal of magic to heal both Rose and Asher.

I held her for hours until she finally awake, she smiled weakly as if she was trying to hide the fact that she was ashamed. I knew Rose well enough to have expected this reaction, Rose Hathaway didn't cry, she didn't show fear and she didn't hide.  
"Thank you Dimitri" she said quietly  
"don't thank me Roza" I kissed the top of her head.  
"I was so scared" she sighed  
"I know you were but you're safe now" I said attempting to reassure her  
"I guess" she murmured, it was hard to digest the fact that, even in my arms she didn't feel 100% safe "Can I see Asher?" she asked out of nowhere  
"sure you can, let me go check if he's awake." Her attachment to him stirred up some jealousy within but I quickly shook it off knowing it was immature. I kissed the top of her head realizing leaving her alone was not an option "Actually how about I take you with me?" I spoke casually, it almost sounded like a different person was speaking. I selfishly wanted to keep her in my arms but that was only part of it, I wasn't prepared to leave her alone, I didn't want to find her cowering under the covers again. Getting up slowly, I scooped her into my arms carrying her bridal style, she could walk – but I didn't want her too.

"I can walk you know Comrade" a bit of her old spark returned  
"I know you can Roza but I feel like carrying you" I replied chuckling a little, she gave me a lazy grin clinging to me. I carried her across the living room toward another bedroom; I opened the door quietly to find Asher sitting on the bed looking like hell. He had been crying, his eyes were bloodshot and puffy and there were dark circles them; his face was gaunt and undernourished - he had refused to eat since we had returned.  
"Do you want me to leave Roza?" I asked  
"No…" she looked away, almost ashamed to admit that she needed me there  
"Okay, well I'm just going to stand by the window and give you some privacy, is that alright Roza?" she simply nodded, the old Rose would have had some sarcastic remark about me acting like a parent, maybe something like _'Are you my father now, Comrade?'_ I couldn't help but chuckle quietly at the thought of it. I placed Rose on the bed kissing the top of her head before moving to stand by the window; the bedrooms in this apartment were particularly large. Rose moved to sit closer to Asher before speaking.  
" I'm sorry about Gina" she said, I think both Asher and I were shocked by the statement, Gina had subjected the two of them to hours of torture and Rose was apologizing  
"if anyone should apologize it's me, I didn't protect you and she hurt you because of Me." He sounded extremely weak  
"Asher, there was nothing you could do to stop them we were out numbered." Rose said compassionately. She was remarkable, this experience had caused her a great deal of pain, both mentally and physically and she still supported him "and you know, minus the death part, I do know how you feel to some extent Asher. Dimitri was Strigoi before Lissa and I turned him back, he held me captive and fed from me…" her voice by now was barely a whisper but Dhampir hearing was sensitive enough to pick up on a whisper. I felt my heart begin to wrench in my chest, I had done that to her. How could she ever forgive that? I clenched my fists tightly attempting to push anger and resentment I felt toward myself away. We both had a lot to get through but we would get through it _together._

**A/N: It's a wee bit corny but there is more to come to do with Lissa's sibling and everything like that. Review please :D**


	8. Be the Light

**A/N: I bought Last Sacrifice yesterday, and finished it. It's AMAZING. That's all I'll say. I promise not to add spoilers to the fic or to my profile or to any stories and I will be heading in a different direction. I'm going to extend this story past the ending of Last Sacrifice as well. I did love the ending though. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Sorry it's taken so long to update, the wait for Last Sacrifice drove me a little crazy so now that I've read it, my inspiration is all back. It took me a little while to get this out but I think I'm all better now. Lol. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing at all.**

I left Asher an hour later; I had convinced him to eat. It was strange to see him like this. He was no longer physically weak but mentally weak, almost mentally unstable. A part of me wished Adrian was here to give him some alcohol and a cigarette, to push the instability away. Asher didn't deserve this; none of this was his fault. He was a victim in it all.

I sat on the bed with Dimitri, it was amazing to have his arms around me again, I couldn't explain why it had been so easy for me to forgive him. Maybe I realised that we'd lost too much time together, that he was important to me. I closed my eyes for a moment thinking about the past few weeks, the queens murder, Lissa being arrested, Dimitri and I being arrested, Ambrose bringing the note to me…the NOTE. I forced my eyes open in a second, and began to panic.

"Did you get my bag?" I questioned urgently startling Dimitri  
"Abe collected it from the hotel, it's just over there" He pointed remaining calm once he realised that was my problem "do you want me to get it?" he asked  
"I'll get it." I got up slowly reluctantly leaving his arms  
I tore the bag open rummaging through everything until I found the note, I took a big sigh of relief when I found it. I left my clothes strewn all over the floor and my suitcase wide open with the note held tightly in my hand.

"I have something to show you" I handed the note to him taking my spot beside him, I saw the shock register on his face  
"How do you know this is real?" he questioned  
"Ambrose gave it to me, I trust him" I sighed feeling slightly unsure "do I tell Lissa?"  
"Not yet. We need to figure out if this is real and true, it would be too upsetting" Dimitri added  
"I know, but she might be just as upset if I keep this from her" we were stuck between a rock and a hard place  
"I suggest you show this to Abe and get things started, give him a week to find things out and then show and tell Vasilisa about it" he suggested, his accent sounding as beautiful as ever  
"I didn't think I would say this, but I want to ask Abe about it" I had only just begun to trust good ole Zmey and I knew despite every thought I had about him, he was wise and he would know what to do.  
"Do you want me to get him?" he asked, I didn't mind being waitted on by my Russian god.  
"Yes please" I replied attempting to suppress a grin, I could get used to this  
"What's so funny Roza?" he chuckled, as I appreciated the beautiful smile that currently sat on his face  
"Oh just the 6'7, Russian God waiting on me hand and foot" I grinned  
"you've been through a lot, you deserve it." He replied as I felt my cheeks burn, he knew me so well, he knew exactly what to say.

He left the room to find Abe as I felt the panic begin to seize control again, I struggled to push it away and keep calm. This wasn't normal and this wasn't me. I was beginning to get pissed off with myself; Rose Hathaway didn't panic when she was alone. Rose Hathaway was strong. I began to calm down, taking deep breaths as I finally settled.

Abe entered the room looking as suave and overdone as usual, he wore black dress pants with a deep red jacket and a black dress-shirt with that he wore a deep purple tie. He was one of the very few people who pull such a colourful outfit off; his personality matched the outfit in a way. He had a dark side to him, which was evident and he was eccentric in personality and taste. I hated to admit it but he really was growing on me.  
"Hey Dad" I chuckled  
"Hello Rosemarie, Dimitri says you have something to tell me" he sat on the end of the bed watching me  
"I wanted to show you this" I handed him the note deciding it was easier to show him then try to explain.  
"Are you sure this is real?" he questioned right away  
"I am, I know Ambrose wouldn't lie." I stated simply  
"I can give you the resources to find this sibling" he smiled  
"Do you think I should tell Lissa?"  
"Yes, it's going to be hard to keep her in the dark when you've got the bond and we're all going to be here for a while" I watched Abe as he spoke he may not have realised it but his tone and posture showed affection he was looking at me and leaning toward me.  
"You're right" I nodded, Dimitri was also right but there was no way of keeping this from Lissa, she would be hurt either way. It was best coming from my mouth rather than my mind. Dimitri walked in as if on cue, he was holding a brown paper bag.  
"Abe had this delivered for you" he smiled placing it in front of me. Watched him savouring the beautiful smile I'd always loved, he was beautiful. I opened the bag finding a couple of large dishes that looked delicious, I couldn't help the goofy grin that spread across my face  
"How did you know I like to eat so much?" I questioned Abe  
"I figured that you might have gotten that from your mother." He gave me a simple shrug before standing  
"I'll leave you too it, I need to help in the search for evidence to clear The Princesses name" he smiled  
"thank you for doing this for her" I really was thankful, for that and for the resources he would provide me with to find Lissa's sibling.  
"Anything for you Rose…anything for you" he said almost wistfully, a lingering hope behind his voice. He left the room, leaving Dimitri and I alone once again.

I dug into my meal as thoughts of Lissa filled my mind, I knew I had forgiven her now and all my thoughts and feelings were of concern. I finished eating; it was time to tell her. I got to my feet feeling stronger than before. I gave Dimitri one last look hoping my eyes told him to follow, I found Lissa sitting in the living room and sat down beside her.  
"I need to talk to you" my tone was darker than usual "there's no easy way to say this" I pulled the note out of my pocket "Your dad…he had an affair and there's another Dragomir out there" It came out quite bluntly but there really was no other way to say it.  
"I don't believe you" I had expected that because her thoughts had said it a moment before she had spoken, I handed her the note before explaining some more.  
"Ambrose gave me this, it's from Tatiana" I read the note through her eyes, she wanted to deny it but she couldn't. I felt the mixture of emotions over take her, pain, confusion hurt, mistrust. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders "It'll be okay Liss, we can get through, just remember, no matter what your father did. He loved you dearly and he always treated you well." I made sure that my thoughts mirrored that sentiment "and we'll find your sibling."

Lissa and I sat in front of a laptop staring back at Sydney, I'd managed to contact her but this was the safest way to do it because no record of our conversation would be found.  
"I need all the information you can get about Eric Dragomir" I requested, I knew the answer but I hoped asking would lead me to more information.  
"Rose…" she sighed "All I can give you is a bank account number; he used to deposit money into the account each month and the name behind it." She explained, I drew in a nervous breath, this could be it.

"The name behind the account is…." She paused as I felt my heart thumping and Lissa clutched my hand tightly. Once Sydney said the name we could never go back.

**A/N: I hope you liked the chapter, I know I left you on a cliffy, this time I promise not to take so long to update. I hope you enjoyed the little relationship I'm building between Rose and Abe. I adore Abe. Review please!**


	9. Tell Me Why

**A/N: I present you with the new chapter, I quite like this chapter, it's not meant to be a filler chapter, just the lead up to an eventful next chapter. Excuse any spelling mistakes, typos or double words. Lol. It hasn't been edited. On a side note I have started a new story, it's called "Nothing Left to Lose" it is my version of Bloodlines, I'm very proud of it and I would love if my amazing readers took the time to read this one. It does come after Last Sacrifice so those who haven't read Last Sacrifice should wait until they have. It will also follow Rose but the first chapter focuses on the four main characters of it. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Thanks heaps for reading. I'd also like to thank XxMusicLuver1xX for being my 35****th**** reviewer, I'd wanted to get to that number. Lol. Thank you to everyone who had reviewed, favourited, story alerted, it means a lot to me. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, Except Asher.**

"Mikhail Tanner" Sydney spoke again filling the silence as I sat there with my mouth wide open. Lissa held my hand tighter than before clearly confused.  
"Okay" was all I managed to get out my mind reeling as I attempted to connect the dots, it wasn't possible for Lissa's sibling to be related to Mikhail…was it?  
"That's all I've got for you Rose, if you need to talk again you know what to do." And with that the image of Sydney faded from the screen.

"Mikhail, how can it be Mikhail?" Lissa questioned frantically, her extreme emotions where threatening to pull me into her head  
"Calm down Liss, it'll be okay, I'll find a way to contact Mikhail so we can figure this all-out" I gave her hand a squeeze. I sent some calming vibes through the bond; she finally calmed down enough to take a rest.

I knocked on Abe's door hoping to obtain a phone from him. He answered the door looking casual for him, he was wearing dark jeans and blue floral shirt, he had a red kerchief around his neck and his hair sat messily on his head.  
"To what do I owe this pleasure?"  
"Well, _Dad._ I was wondering if you could provide me with a phone." Every time I called him dad it really hit home that he was my father.  
"I sure can Rosemarie" he chuckled and stepped aside to let me in.

I followed him into his room, it reminded me of the room that Asher and I had been held in, it was extremely lavish. It was as if the room was made for Abe, the wallpaper was bright and patterned the furniture was large and over the top and the room was huge.  
"Has any new information been found?"  
"Only little things, nothing entirely important." Abe replied  
"oh…" I sighed, this was frustrating, and I couldn't do anything. "Sydney found the name on the account that Eric Dragomir was depositing money into each month and I need to contact him." I said deciding not to dwell on the bad part of this whole thing.  
"Who is this mystery person?" Abe questioned a tone of humour evident in his voice  
"It's Mikhail Tanner." I said matter of factly  
"I see, that certainly is an interesting development" he chuckled  
"so, the communication?" talking to him was already starting to annoy me; I was beginning to understand why it was hard for people to have a conversation with me, I must have been infuriating at times. I knew I could be annoying but surely I wasn't this bad.

"you know Rosemarie talking to you is like having a conversation with myself at times" Abe chuckled as if he were reading my mind  
"are you going to help me contact Mikhail or not?" I replied curtly  
"always straight to business" he shook his head "now now Rosemarie, patience is a virtue." His laughter filled the silence as I rolled my eyes; surely I wasn't that _obnoxious,_ was I?  
"I don't have time or patience for this Abe; this is important, just like finding out the queen's real murderer" He was really starting to piss me off now, I had a low tolerance for time wasters and it was especially bad that it was my own father.

"Fine Rosemarie, we have a few spare cell phones with untraceable numbers, you can call Mikhail from one of those" one of Abe's guardians handed me a cell phone as he looked on, still looking thoroughly amused.

"Thanks Abe" I left Abe's room going back to Dimitri who had been waiting for me the entire time  
"what happened?" Dimitri questioned right away the concern evident in his voice.  
"No news on the murderer, and the name on the account that Eric had been depositing money too. It was um…it was Mikhail Tanner." I watched as Dimitri's usual calm expression changed to one of shock "I know, it's a strange development…I have to call him." Dimitri nodded regaining his composure and pulled a note book out of his own suitcase flipping through it until he found the correct number. Handing it to me I typed the number into my cell phone. It rung as I felt my heart beating tenfold this was the moment of truth.

"Hello?" his voice sounded gruff and bored  
"Mikhail…its Rose"  
"Hello Rose" he sounded shocked to hear from me but it was hard to tell over the phone  
"I have to ask you about something" there wasn't time for pleasantries.  
"Ask away"  
"I'm going to cut straight to chase, why was your name on an account that Eric Dragomir was depositing money into?" I questioned  
"I got my name put onto the account when Sonya…" he trailed off, I knew exactly what he meant  
"oh…do you know who the money was really going to?" I asked  
"I don't…I'm sorry, Sonya never told me. She said she had sworn to protect that person's identity." The pain was evident in his voice  
"thank you for everything Mikhail…" I sighed, I understood the pain he must be feeling "I'll find her Mikhail, I will" I found myself making a promise I wasn't sure I could keep "Where did you search for her?"  
"The last location I'd been searching for her was living on the outskirts of Bennington in Vermont; the town is close to the border of Massachusetts. She only ever wanted to live free of spirit, it wouldn't surprise me if she was still living there. She was living in a cottage near the edges of the Green Mountain National forest; the house was yellow with a white picket fence and a stunning garden…" He spoke as if he was remembering the place by sight, I suddenly understood what had happened; he hadn't been able to kill her. "I must go now, goodbye Rose" he hung up, I don't think he believed that I would keep my promise as much as I did, it was a near on impossible one but I knew that we could do it.

I looked at Dimitri thankful to have him there, I knew how Mikhail felt, and it was a terrible place to be in, I don't think I could've handled being there for over 2 years. Trying to kill Dimitri had been the hardest thing I'd ever done and I had left Russia broken. Mikhail had decided to let Sonya live as a Strigoi because he couldn't handle it.

In only a matter of hours we were boarding a plane to Boston, Massachusetts. Abe had provided us with all the money and resources we needed, even a guardian in Asher, who whilst emotionally fragile was physically strong and had no chance of seeing his Ex-girlfriend as a Strigoi anymore. The only ones left behind were Abe and his guardians who would travel to Russia for now and meet us at the court when enough evidence had been found to clear Lissa's name. Lissa and Dimitri were wanted criminals with very distinguishable looks so they both worth jewellery infused with Spirit to alter their appearances and change their identities to match those of the fake passports the ever resourceful Abe had come up with. I sat between Lissa and Dimitri alert as ever, realistically Lissa was safe with three guardians but I'd never stop wanting to protect her. She dozed off after a while, exhausted by the emotional rollercoaster we were going through.

The flight passed by agonizingly slowly as I sat through the flight alert to my surroundings, people talked, people slept, babies cried, old ladies whined…it was just like a normal flight. The plane safely landed as Lissa finally awoke from her slumber; she'd been out like a light the entire time, she looked a bit pale and a little weak, we'd definitely have to find her a feeder. We arrived at the hotel an hour later, it was a Moroi hotel that Abe had found. I had now acquired my own bit of jewellery to protect my identity, I was famous for my antics and I had no doubt that the guardians would be looking for me as well. According to Lissa I also looked like a Moroi, we'd established that there was no way a non-royal Moroi could realistically have three guardians (Abe excluded) so instead we had become two rich Moroi friends meeting at the hotel to spend a couple of days together in luxury. The first thing we did after checking in was order a feeder to the room, ten minutes after the call was made there was a knock at the door, opening It we found a male Dhampir dressed in hotel uniform and a human girl who was obviously the feeder, the male Dhampir had long blond hair tied back in a neat ponytail under his hat, he had a surprisingly thin face with delicate features but stunning blue eyes. The female feeder would have had to have been in her mid-twenties with long dark hair and deep brown eyes, she was very small in stature and there wasn't much to her, I was surprised she could even walk, she lost so much blood on a regular basis how did her body cope?

Lissa eventually fed and we went back to planning. So far we had all agreed that the best way to gain Sonya's trust and get her to confide in us would be to turn her back, soon Lissa would work to charm the stake we would all take the time to rest with Dimitri and I swapping guarding shifts. Tomorrow we would set out on the 3 hour drive to Bennington and proceed to search for the house, once we had found it we would strike right away in the hopes of catching her off guard and hopefully asleep. Dimitri and I would restrain Sonya whilst Asher helped Lissa to stake her. Dimitri had been adamant about giving Sonya a little time to recuperate and during that time he would stay with her. He was the only one who would understand how she was feeling.

One thing was for certain, tomorrow would be a very long day for everyone involved.

**A/N: Tell me what you think =)**


	10. Dog Days are Over

**A/N: So so sorry its taken me so long to update, I've had a lot going on, among those things was that my dad was on leave from work, so I've been spending a lot of time with my parents and away from the computer. I hope you can forgive me for leaving you all hanging. I will post a new chapter of Nothing Left Lose soon as well. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, It's origins do partially lay in Last Sacrifice but I tried to change it in some ways and make it my own. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, except Asher. The chapter name 'Dog Days Are Over' belongs to Florence and The Machine – Awesome song, check it out.**

The drive to Bennington had been a long one, it had felt like forever, we were all anxious to get there and find Sonya. We drove around endlessly looking for the yellow house with the picket fence, thankfully so far there weren't many yellow houses with white picket fences. The longer we drove around the more frustrated I grew, through the bond I found Lissa feeling anxious. I couldn't imagine being in her position, it was just this mysterious sibling, but the betrayal her father had committed. Every time I skimmed her brain I felt her upset. I had tried several times to tell her that it didn't effect who her father had been to her, but in reality it did, maybe his behaviour toward everyone hadn't changed but what had changed was her entire perception of him, he had lost that godly stature and admiration in her mind and she wasn't sure he'd ever been seen in the same light by her.

We drove for two more hours, thankful that it was really only the middle of the day, before we spot a beautiful cottage with a pale yellow exterior a stunning garden and an ever present white picket fence. None of the other houses in any of the streets we had driven through looked like this; it was isolated as it sat in the middle of a huge block of land at the end of a dead end street. The border of the national park sat behind the house and its land and every other house sat further down the street. We parked the car a fair distant away and made our way to the house, we walked around the property in silence, we all knew what was going to have to go down and we were all scared, Lissa and Dimitri seemed to be the most on edge. That's right, calm, cool Dimitri Belikov was actually worried and he was showing it. He almost seemed scared.

We circled the proper before forcing our way through the back gate; there was no way we could get away with breaking into someone's house in broad daylight. We approached the back door with silent footsteps, Asher picked the lock and we snuck in, we were really relying on the element of surprise. Searching the house we eventually found her sitting in the living room and Dimitri and I lunged for her gripping her arms as tight as we could, she struggled and thrashed against us but Dimitri and I were stronger as a unit then we were apart. Asher and Lissa stood in front of Sonya, his hands held hers as they pushed the stake into her chest, forcing it through her ribcage into her heart. The same amazing light shone through the room, through the bond I felt the wonderful feeling of Lissa's magic. Sonya stopped struggling and went limp in our hold as she broke down; I let her go as Dimitri led her to the bedroom we had found on the ground floor. This had been surprisingly uneventful and almost too easy. I sat on the couch with Lissa who was clearly exhausted from the huge amount of magic she had used. Asher stayed standing looking unsure of what to do.

"Lissa you need to feed" I frowned  
"I'll be fine Rose" she answered as her mind said the opposite  
"it's really no use saying that Lis" I shook my head and titled my neck toward her  
"Fine" she leant in as that feeling of anticipation swept over me, she bit into my neck only taking a small amount of blood as Asher watched looking almost horrified. That feeling of pleasure that had swept over me ended almost as soon as she pulled away.

"Asher, this stays between us" I spoke seriously "I've done this before with Lissa when we were living in the human world. I'll recover soon enough. Will you lock up the house while I stay here?" I gave him a weak smile  
"Sure" he reluctantly left the room as I turned back to Lissa.  
"Lissa…this has been on my mind for a while." I frowned  
"what happened when Dimitri and I spent the night together?" she questioned  
"yup" I nodded popping the p  
"Well, it's kind of silly…" she trailed off "I was trying to heal some of his emotional pain, I knew how much you both loved each other and I knew the only thing holding him back was regret and pain because of his actions. I thought if I could heal some of that he would come back to you…I didn't mean to be so harsh with you in the cafeteria or any other time, I just knew that every time he saw you he felt worse and he's as stubborn as you, so I wanted you to lay off and give him time. We tried for hours and then I fell asleep, Dimitri stayed to make sure I was okay, because even though It didn't work I still used a lot of magic" she explained as I felt my eyes well up with tears, I was feeling an immense amount of guilt for my own reaction to it in court.  
"I'm so sorry for reacting the way I did, I should know better than that" I sighed  
"Don't be sorry Rose, I shouldn't have treated you the way I did, no matter how much I wanted to protect Dimitri. What's done is done." She smiled and wrapped her arms around my shoulders as I returned the gesture.

I was woken up by Dimitri kissing my forehead "Roza…" he whispered  
"what is it?" I mumbled opening my eyes slowly  
"Sonya's ready to talk…" he smiled  
"Are you okay? Is she okay?" I questioned as everything caught up with me  
"I'm fine Roza and so is Sonya, it really helped that I understood what she was going through." He answered  
"Okay." I got to my feet gently laying Lissa on the couch and followed him out of the room. Sonya was sitting at the kitchen table a small smile on her face.

"Hello Rose" she spoke quietly  
"Hi…" I sat down across from her, I wanted to know about everything but I didn't want to push her  
"Thank you for planning this Rose; I didn't know what I was doing when I made the decision to turn. I was so paranoid and afraid, I will forever be in yours and everyone else's debt."  
"There's only one thing I want from you" I sighed  
"what is that dear?" she smiled fondly  
"I want to know who Eric Dragomir's money was really going to…" I was annoyingly blunt with that question, but I was pretty anxious  
"I will write down the address for you…but I can't tell you who it is." She reluctantly conceded it was enough for me.

Sonya, Dimitri, Lissa, Asher and I left her cottage, locking it up tight. New plans had been made; Sonya would travel with us as we tried to find the murderer and clear Lissa's, Dimitri's and Abe's names, we were also one drive away from Lissa's sibling.

There was yet another long drive which was pure torture. We parked across the street from the house and Sonya left us, she knocked on the door as the four of us stayed in the car watching intently. I felt my mouth hit the floor as Jill Mastrano's mother, Emily answered the door, the two of them exchanged a few words before they hugged and Emily led Sonya inside.

We spent two hours in the car before Sonya approached with a sad looking Emily looking out the front door behind her. I didn't know the full story but I could tell this was an inevitable day she'd been dreading. I felt Lissa's anxiety spike, she almost seemed worried about what Jill would think about her – even though they'd already met, she was scared, upset, and kind of happy. She was in emotional turmoil. I squeezed her hand trying to reassure her whilst sending calming thoughts her way. Sonya smiled and leant down to speak into the open window.  
"Emily would like to invite you in"

I was surprised at this, she was going to let a 'murderer' into her house and tell her daughter that said murderer was her long lost sister. This was going to be awkward. We all got out of the car following her lead as Emily watched as we approached stepping aside to let the five of us in. As we entered the small boutique like hallway with a teak side table and an old fashion coatrack, the walls covered in light blue floral wallpaper. I looked up to see Jill bound down the stairs stopping at the bottom step to take in the sight in front of her.

"Rose, Lissa, Guardian Belikov" she nodded politely toward us "what are you guys doing here?"  
"I think its best that you and you're mother and Princess Vasilisa have a discussion" Dimitri spoke before her mother could.  
"Am I in trouble?" she questioned sounding a little frantic  
"You're not in trouble Jill; I just need to speak to you…" Emily trailed off  
"Okay" she finally said after considering it for a moment.

I shoved Lissa forward to follow Jill and Emily as they stepped into another room

"I'll be with you the whole time" I whispered.

She followed silently shutting the door behind her; I slipped into her mind with ease. Lissa watched as Emily sat down beside her daughter, placing her hand on her daughter's knee. Emily began to speak quietly as a single tear rolled down her face.  
"Jill, I've never told you who your biological father is for a reason and I'm afraid that the day has come where you must know, and this is going to change your life drastically" she spoke calmly even though both Lissa and I could hear the pain in her voice. It was almost as if both Jill and Emily had forgotten Lissa was in the room.  
"When I was a dancer in Vegas, I met a man; he was charming, gorgeous, friendly, and respectful. I could tell he was well respected by both Moroi and Dhampir's. He did something most Moroi didn't, he spoke to me, I was a lowly dancer in most people's eyes but to him I was special. We did something that neither of us was proud of, but there was one beautiful thing came out of it and that's you." She sighed pausing for a moment "Jill, your father was Eric Dragomir. That's why everything changes. That makes Princess Vasilisa your half-sister…that makes you royal." She trailed off, as if she needed to explain the finer points of it. Jill sat there in complete silence; her expression was hard to read as she processed things.  
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Jill finally spoke breaking the silence  
"I wanted you to live the best life possible and I thought keeping that from you would be the best thing because it kept Erics standings in society high and it meant that you could live a normal Moroi life. I also didn't want to cause scandal amongst the Royals by revealing you as his daughter, simply because there would be a huge spot light on you and even some criticism. I didn't want that for you, at least not until you were old enough to handle it. In fact I would have waited a couple more years before telling you. " she explained looking worried about her daughters reaction.  
"Thank you Mom" Jill said taking the three of us by surprise "I think I can handle the spot light now, if I have to but thank you for keeping me safe and keeping me out of trouble" her jade eyes shone of a mixture of sadness, excitement and shock.

The three of them spent a lot of time talking as Lissa slowly became more comfortable with idea that Jill was her sister, she was still upset with her father but she knew holding a grudge wouldn't prove anything and in my mind it certainly wouldn't help her get over things.

Abe called once we were back at the hotel to tell us he had a small but significant clue to add to the mix in regard to Lissa's case. The carried residue that could only come from a rubber glove, the fine powder that sat on the outside of the gloves had etched onto the stake. It raised an important question for the council. Why would Lissa kill the queen using her own stake while wearing gloves when her finger prints were already on it?

I could tell that this had given Lissa a little bit more hope for clearing her name. It was just hard to find evidence when not even Abe could get to court.


End file.
